Hardy's Commission — Perry Comer

Historical Fiction of the United States Marine Corps set in 1810. Bernard Cornwell's Richard Sharpe was a bastard lieutenant and so is Thomas Hardy. Rising through the ranks in the British Army was tough enough, gaining a commission in the United States Marine Corps in 1810 after being cashiered by the British was by fate and cunning. Thomas Hardy rose from the ranks to become an officer but he was no gentleman. He was a rouge, a liar and a theft. There was never a more unlikely man to gain a commission in the United States Marine Corps than Thomas Hardy.